Have your say on the roads

RESIDENTS are invited to have their say on how roads, pavements and verges can be maintained in the future by Leicestershire County Council.

People have until midnight on September 25 to voice their opinion on how the county council can adapt its approach to protecting Leicestershire’s highways and walkways, in a bid to save £10 million in council spending.

In 2015/16, the council spent £26 million on road maintenance across the county, either directly or through contractors.

The authority needs to reduce this figure to £16.5 million by 2020.

Councillor Peter Osborne, cabinet member for highways and transport, said: “Before we produce a new strategy for how we look after our roads, pavements and verges, we want to find out what people value and whether they have any thoughts on how we can make changes.”

The council proposes to prioritise high risk repairs when responding to highway defects and focus resources on planned repairs and preventative maintenance, reduce the number of items looked after directly, and encourage communities to help maintain the road-side environment.

The findings of the consultation will be reported back to the council’s ruling cabinet, later this year.

To contribute your view, visit www. leicestershire.gov.uk/ highwaysconsultation

For an easy-read format of the consultation, call 0116 305 0001 or e-mail pressoffice@leics.gov.uk